Protect what is yours -

Protect what is yours - I was reading through some Facebook status updates and   came upon an interesting one from an old high school classmate. It said, Bill (not his real name) is Married. Now, I dont keep up with Bill, and I really had no idea of his marital status prior to his post. Nice, I thoughtBill got married. Curious, I read the comments. (Does that make me a voyeur? Or, is that the POINT of Facebook?) Anyway, the few comments made it clear that Bill and his wife (who apparently have some kids) were going to make a go of their marriage, which had apparently been on the rocks. (I guess that would be complicated in FaceBook lingo.) None of this would be all that interesting or topical for me, except Bills comment at the end of the messages congratulating him   for sticking it out. He said, Ya, were going to give it a go. Dont tell anyone as I havent told my family yet. I didnt realize Facebook was going to post it. HmmmMaybe not the best idea to announce your status on a social network if you want your friends and family to know first. Why didnt Bill realize that Facebook was going to announce his status to the world? Or, at the very least, that it was not going to be their little secret? I was thinking about this in light of the buzz about Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerbergs recent comments about privacy. In an apparent about-face on the subject, he indicated that todays consumer is not as interested in privacy as in the past. PC World quoted him: People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something thats evolved over time, Zuckerberg said. We view it as our role in the system to constantly be innovating and be updating what our system is to reflect what the current social norms are. Zuckerberg then pointed to Facebooks recent privacy policy change that made users key information open by default as an example of the social networks willingness to reflect current social norms. For those unfamiliar with the recent changes, Facebook recently changed settings to allow your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, friends list, and all the pages you subscribe to to be publicly available information on Facebook. What does this mean to you? Everyone on the web can see it; it is searchable. (Yes, that means Google can come looking for you.) Making the default public is kind of   like when you sign up for anything and the default is to subscribe to their newsletter and learn more information not taking action is so much easier, many businesses get subscribers who had not intended to hear from them ever again. By the same token, if youre not paying a lot of attention and being vigilant, you may be sharing more than you intend to online. And, if you are my old high school friend, you are sharing because it feels natural, only later realizing the ramifications. Think about itIf you are who Google thinks you are, you need to step up and make sure you actively manage what it sees and knows. Dont forget that clear, concise, optimized job search materials AND a strong, well executed plan are key for job search success! I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?   If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans,  learn more about how I can help you! While youre at it, dont forget those social networks! Be sure to become a  fan of Keppie Careers on FacebookId be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since were on the subject of doing something newAre you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me  @keppie_careers. photo by Bill Gracey